Best L-Citrulline and Citrulline Malate Supplements for Bodybuilding

March 20, 2024
Sam Andreas

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Finding new ways to challenge yourself in the gym can be difficult. When you’re used to the everyday slog of gym, work, eat, sleep, repeat, mixing things up may be just what you need. But how can you do this when your energy levels and athletic performance have reached a standstill?

Well, L-citrulline supplements may do just the trick, as they can equip your body with everything it requires to boost your athletic performance, and more!

Want to find out more about the best L-citrulline supplements on the market? We’ve got you covered…

The Best L-Citrulline Supplements - Top Two

Starting with our two favorite L-citrulline products on the market, let’s just dive right in…

1. Evlution Nutrition L-Citrulline2000

Our first option for the best L-citrulline supplements is the Evlution Nutrition option. What we really like about this product is the inclusion of L-citrulline on its own. This is great, as it shows that Evlution has focused its product on one specific aim.

One thing we’d like to point out is that this product only contains 100 2-gram servings of L-citrulline, which isn’t really that high a dosage. This is because the best results of L-citrulline will come from a 3 to 6-gram serving. Therefore, we’d recommend you consume two servings at a time to achieve the best results.

L-citrulline: 2000 mg.

Focused product.
A great number of servings per container.
Plant-based.

Doesn’t contain a high enough dosage of L-citrulline per serving, but this can be worked around.

2. NOW Sports, L-Citrulline

Our second option for the best L-citrulline supplements is the NOW Sports option. This comes in a pill formula, which is great for anyone who may struggle to stomach a powdered formula before their workout each morning.

There’s a lot of positive aspects to NOW Foods as a company. Firstly, we love the company’s dedication to helping the underdogs achieve their gym aims. It does this by providing well-researched supplements that are available to the masses, so everyone can make those gains.

Its fantastic clinical research on humans backs its products, so you can be confident that the products you’re consuming are trustworthy. What’s more, the product should also be effective, as it’ll have tested the efficacy of each ingredient dosage on its subjects.

Also, although NOW Foods hasn’t been approved by the FDA, they work tirelessly to fit the FDA guidelines.

Similar to Evlution Nutrition, each pill doesn’t contain enough L-citrulline to make a real difference. Therefore, to see a change, we’d recommend taking three pills a day.

L-citrulline: 1200 mg.

Lots of servings per container.
Recyclable packaging.
Meets FDA guidelines.
Trustworthy research backing up the product.

Doesn’t contain efficient levels of L-citrulline in each serving.

The Best Citrulline Malate Supplements - Top Two

Now that we’ve taken a look at our two favorite L-citrulline products, it’s time to check out our favorite two citrulline malate supplements.

1. Nutricost L-Citrulline Malate (2:1) Powder

Our final option for the best L-citrulline supplements is another powder that has a large number of servings per container. In fact, it actually beats Bulk Supplements in this regard, containing a fantastic 197 servings per pot.

Similarly to our previous option, the Nutricost powder also contains a 2:1 ratio of L-citrulline to malate, accumulating to 3 grams altogether. This provides the optimum level of L-citrulline per serving. That said, if you fancy a little more each day, it’s still safe to double the quantity you consume, depending on your needs.

What’s more, Nutricost is known for its hunt for quality ingredients that aren’t chemically enhanced. Instead, it uses natural sources to provide quality ingredients for less, which is something we love.

L-citrulline: 2000 mg.
DL-malate:1000 mg.

Quality ingredients.
Optimum levels of L-citrulline.
Serving can be doubled, and still remain safe.
The highest levels of servings per container.
Money-back guarantee.

May not taste too good.

2. L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1 Powder by BulkSupplements

Firstly, let’s talk about the company. We love Bulk Supplements for its value for money. The company prides itself on its delivery of pure, lab-tested ingredients, in bulk, so you can get the best for your hard-earned money; an area where the company really delivers in.

With the inclusion of L-citrulline, alongside its counterpart, DL-malate, this product provides an efficient amount of L-citrulline per serving. This makes a difference from our previous products, containing just L-citrulline, which aren’t necessarily as effective.

All you need to do is mix one scoop of this powder with water, once a day, 20–30 minutes prior to exercise, to achieve the best results. If you fancy taking a little more, perhaps one extra scoop a day to see greater results, this is also safe.

L-citrulline: 2000 mg.
DL-malate:1000 mg.

Contains an effective level of L-citrulline.
Good value for money.
Pure, quality, lab-tested ingredients.
Contains a whopping 166 servings per container.

May not taste the best.

Informational guide to L-Citrulline and Citrulline Malate Supplements

What Does an L-Citrulline Supplement Do?

L-citrulline is an amino acid, which can usually be found in your diet through food sources like watermelon, dark chocolate, beets, meat, nuts, leafy greens, and citrus fruits. It’s used in a number of bodily functions, including the urea cycle, helping to rid the body of waste.

I’m sure you also know of the muscle recovery effects of amino acids, like L-citrulline, in the body. But what else is L-citrulline good for?

It’s known to boost the L-arginine levels in your body, which is an amino acid that can improve your cardiovascular health. Indeed, once it’s consumed, the kidneys transfer it into L-arginine, which increases nitric oxide levels in your body. This improves the vasodilation of your blood cells, therefore boosting the levels of oxygen in your bloodstream.

This can be especially useful during a workout when your body is under a lot of stress. In this case, your body may not have access to the glucose, lipids or other nutrients it needs to work effectively. By increasing the vasodilation in your muscles, your body will have access to these vital necessities.

There are a number of positive side effects to this, including improved blood pressure, stamina and athletic performance.

This video goes into great depth as to the benefits of L-citrulline and how it works in the body:

The Benefits of an L-Citrulline Supplement

So, what other positive effects can L-citrulline have on the body? Let’s see…

Improves blood pressure.
Increases muscle gains.
Boosts stamina and endurance.
Reduces fatigue.
Improves male sexual health.
Increases workout performance.
Helps with recovery by removing metabolic waste after exercise.

Please note, we would advise that, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding or have any other pre-existing medical conditions, that you don’t take this supplement. If you wish to, please ensure to consult a doctor beforehand.

What to Look for in the Best L-Citrulline Supplement

Before we dive into our list of the best L-citrulline supplements, let’s first investigate some of the factors you should be aware of:

L-Citrulline Vs. Citrulline Malate

As you’ll notice below, there are some fantastic supplement options that just contain L-citrulline. Alongside this, there are other options that include this ingredient plus citrulline malate. But what’s the difference?

We’ve seen how L-citrulline is used to increase the nitric oxide in your body, helping to improve your endurance and athletic performance. Citrulline malate joins L-citrulline in this regard, but actually has more effects on the improvement of muscle recovery and growth.

So, if you’re looking for a product that works to improve your performance in the gym and how you feel after, a citrulline malate product may suit you better.

Pill vs. Powder

Deciding whether you fancy purchasing a pill supplement or powdered supplement is always a struggle. Usually, pill supplements won’t have the quantities of ingredients you desire due to their smaller size. That said, this may not be the case with some pills, so you just need to keep an eye on the ingredients list to decide if it’ll work for you.

What’s more, pills can sometimes take longer to absorb into the bloodstream than powders. However, pills are usually easier to consume than powders, which must be mixed with a fluid to be consumed. Whichever your preference, we’ll explore both scenarios down below.

L-Citrulline Quantity

Studies show that the minimum amount of L-citrulline to consume per day in order to see any difference is three grams. This can come in the form of just L-citrulline or citrulline malate alongside it—a mixture of the two is also adequate.

As you’ll find out shortly, a number of our choices don’t actually live up to this expectation and only contain around two grams per serving, which is strange. However, this is easily remedied by doubling up your serving each day to get the amount you need to see a difference.

Conclusion

Overall, our two L-citrulline malate products are our favorite options. This is because they both include the optimum level of L-citrulline in their mix to provide the best results. That said, which one out of the two would we choose as our favorite?

Well, after breaking it down, we think the Nutricost L-Citrulline Malate (2:1) Powder is the best of our four options. This isn’t just because of its fantastic amount of servings per container. It’s mainly because we love the Nutricost ethos of providing quality products at a low price.

We want fitness to be accessible to everyone, and by providing a great product, that’s safe but cheap, Nutricost wins here.